![]() ![]() The action kicks off when well-regarded CIA analyst Daniel Miller ( Richard Armitage) decides to become a field agent and is assigned to Berlin. “Berlin Station” is not quite as cerebral as “The Americans” or “Rubicon,” and it occasionally cuts corners in its rush to create narrative momentum, but the Epix series has an outstanding cast that takes its reasonably solid storytelling and raises it a few notches through sheer talent and charisma. Speaking of obscurity, at times, “Berlin Station” recalls the little-known but fondly remembered AMC drama “Rubicon,” which depicted the pressure-cooker environment that spies, intelligence bureaucrats, and analysts contend with on a daily basis, and the self-destructive tendencies and elaborate coping strategies they often develop as a result. But “Berlin Station,” a contemporary serial set among CIA and German operatives in that European city, is a credible option for those who enjoy “Homeland,” and appreciate its character-driven moments enough to patiently ride out the inconsistencies of the Showtime drama’s most recent seasons. The show doesn’t reinvent the spy drama for the modern era, nor does it rise to the level of some of the most captivating secret-agent thrillers of recent years (e.g., “London Spy,” “Deutschland 83,” and “The Americans,” the last two of which flash back to the fraught Cold War of the ’80s). The good news is, even in a marketplace flooded with content, that strategy may work, given the extraordinary caliber of the cast in its first drama, “ Berlin Station.” The little-known premium cable channel is trying to become less obscure by using an old strategy: It’s cooking up original series it hopes will create the kind of buzz that will prompt viewers to seek out the network. ![]() The fact that a drama about espionage is premiering on Epix is more likely to prompt the question: “What is Epix?” than it is to inspire excitement. ![]()
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